Patents Examined by John P Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 10062016
    Abstract: A light scanning device includes: a first semiconductor laser 44a that emits a light beam L1; a polygonal mirror 42 that deflects the light beam L1; a reflective mirror 64a that reflects the light beam L1 deflected by the polygonal mirror 42 and causes the light beam L1 to enter a photosensitive drum 13; and a BD sensor 72 that detects the light beam L1 deflected by the polygonal mirror 42. The light scanning device scans the photosensitive drum 13 with the light beam L1 and set scanning timing of the photosensitive drum 13 using the light beam L1 based on detection timing of the light beam L1 using the BD sensor 72. The BD sensor 72 is arranged in the position farther from the polygonal mirror 42 than the last reflective mirror 64a that reflects the light beam L1 immediately before entering the photosensitive drum 13 and arranged inside a scanning angle range ? of the light beam L1 corresponding to an effective scan area of the photosensitive drum 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Shirai
  • Patent number: 10052865
    Abstract: A recording method includes: applying a reactant configured to thicken upon contact with ink to an intermediate transfer body; forming an intermediate image by applying ink to the intermediate transfer body; applying an auxiliary liquid containing a water-soluble polymer to the intermediate image to form an intermediate image layer; and transferring the intermediate image layer to a recording medium. At least one of the reactant, the ink, and the auxiliary liquid contains a certain compound. The reactant contains a surfactant different from this compound and having a cloud point. The temperature of the intermediate image layer at contact with the recording medium is equal to or higher than both the cloud point of the surfactant and the glass transition temperature of the water-soluble polymer, and that at release from the intermediate transfer body is lower than the glass transition temperature of the water-soluble polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ryohei Goto
  • Patent number: 9815991
    Abstract: An ink composition for inkjet recording, including: a color material, a binder resin, and an organic solvent, wherein the binder resin contains at least an acrylic-based resin (A), and a copolymer (B) having a constitutional unit derived from a hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate, a constitutional unit represented by the formula (I), and a constitutional unit represented by the formula (II), a content ratio by mass of the resin (A) to copolymer (B) is 25/75 to 70/30, and wherein the solvent contains at least a polyalkylene glycol dialkyl ether and a cyclic ester, a content ratio of the cyclic ester is 3 parts by mass or more and 10 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the ink composition, and a content ratio of the ethylene glycol alkyl ether acetate is 5 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of the ink composition:
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: DNP FINE CHEMICALS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Megumi Oogaki, Shinichi Yoshimitsu, Katsumi Watanabe, Ryohei Oka, Yukiko Ishima, Karuna Iwasawa
  • Patent number: 9701134
    Abstract: A medium supporting unit includes a supporting portion that includes a first surface supporting a medium, a second surface recessed more than the first surface, and a first side surface connecting the first surface to the second surface, and a pressing portion that includes a pressing surface pressing the medium supported by the first surface at a position facing the second surface, and a facing side surface which faces the first side surface, in which in the supporting portion and the pressing portion, at the time of a holding state in which the medium is supported by the first surface and is pressed by the pressing surface, a part of the medium positioned between the first side surface and the facing side surface is capable of being held in a state of being separated from the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuhiko Hamada
  • Patent number: 9694587
    Abstract: A mounting portion in which a first ink cartridge can be mounted, and a first mounting detection portion that can detect that the first ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting portion are included, and the first mounting detection portion can detect that a mounting unit in which a second ink cartridge can be mounted is mounted in the mounting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Shimomura, Atsushi Takei, Yoshihisa Saka
  • Patent number: 9643432
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a transporting unit which can transport a medium along a first direction; an ejecting unit which can eject liquid; a cutting unit which is provided on a downstream side in the first direction compared to the ejecting unit, and can cut the medium; and a control unit which can execute an ejecting operation in which the liquid is ejected onto the medium using the ejecting unit, and a cutting operation in which the medium is cut using the cutting unit, in which the control unit executes a post-cutting transport operation in which the medium is transported using the transporting unit between executing of the cutting operation and executing of the ejecting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidemasa Kanada, Kenichi Tanioka
  • Patent number: 9623665
    Abstract: A liquid container is configured to be placeable in a containing vessel having a pressurized space and a vessel-side liquid supply structure that is connected with a liquid consuming device. The liquid container comprises a liquid container body; a liquid supply structure that is configured to supply a liquid contained in the liquid container body to the vessel-side liquid supply structure; a container body holding assembly that is configured to hold the liquid container body; and a substrate holding structure that is provided in the container body holding assembly. The container body holding assembly is positioned relative to the containing vessel such that the liquid container body and the liquid supply structure are placed inside of the pressurized space and the substrate holding structure is placed outside of the pressurized space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Aoki, Naoki Naito, Takeshi Iwamuro, Ryoji Fujimori, Keiichiro Yoshino
  • Patent number: 9604473
    Abstract: A first feeder contacts a first surface of a first sheet held in a first tray and feeds the first sheet toward a recording unit. A second feeder contacts a first surface of a second sheet held in a second tray and feeds the second sheet toward the recording unit. An inner member is disposed above a standing plate. An outer member comprises an upstream portion opposing the standing plate, and a downstream portion opposing the inner member. The inner member guides the first surface of the first sheet and the first surface of the second sheet. The standing plate guides the first surface of the second sheet. The upstream portion of the outer member guides a second surface of the second sheet, and the downstream portion guides a second surface of the first sheet and the second surface of the second sheet. The standing plate moves relative to the outer member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuo Asada, Kensuke Hirate, Yoshiyuki Washino
  • Patent number: 9522776
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that achieves the function of connecting a fluid container with a fluid consuming device by using a less number of components. A fluid container detachably connectable with a fluid consuming device comprises a fluid container body configured to contain a fluid; a fluid supply structure located at one end portion of the fluid container body; a container-side electrical connection structure including a contact element that comes into contact with a device-side electrical connection structure provided in the fluid consuming device; and a linkage member including a linkage part configured to link the fluid supply structure with the container-side electrical connection structure and a handle part that is grasped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kawate
  • Patent number: 9505222
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus which includes a tank including a liquid storage chamber, an inlet, a liquid lead-out channel, and an atmosphere communication channel, a conveyance mechanism, a carriage, and a head. A lower end of the inlet is positioned at a lower side of the nozzles, and the liquid storage chamber is arranged at a position shifted from the nozzles, in a first-direction side of the front-rear direction, and shifted from the conveyance route, to a second-direction side of the left-right direction. The liquid storage chamber is connected to the liquid outflow channel at a position on a lower side of a center in a up-down direction of the liquid storage chamber, and in the first direction from a center in the front-rear direction of the liquid storage chamber, and on the second-direction side of a center in the left-right direction of the liquid storage chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akinori Igarashi, Masataka Kamiya
  • Patent number: 9205675
    Abstract: In a method or device to dry a web-shaped recording medium in a printer, the web-shaped recording medium is printed with aqueous ink and subsequently directed with a predetermined web tension past a heatable body whose contact surface that faces towards the recording medium is brought into contact with a side of said recording medium that has not been freshly printed to dry said recording medium in a drying operation. A first guide element is arranged before the heatable body and a second guide element is arranged after the heatable body, the first and second guide elements guiding the recording medium. The contact surface of the heatable body is substantially flat. A negative pressure device generates a negative pressure at the contact surface facing towards the recording medium. The negative pressure is deactivated in a halt operation, the deactivation process taking place continuously over an adjustable time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Océ Printing Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Joachim Samweber
  • Patent number: 9162475
    Abstract: A method for correcting color registration errors for a color printer that prints color image data on a continuous web of media. A color registration error model is used to predict a color registration error value for a particular in-track position as a function of ink coverage characteristics for an image region including the particular in-track position, wherein the color registration error model is a parametric model having one or more parameters. An image plane correction value is determined based on the predicted color registration error, and the color image data for the particular in-track position is printed using the determined image data correction values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
    Inventors: Terry Anthony Wozniak, Randy E. Armbruster, James A. Katerberg, Christopher M. Muir
  • Patent number: 7883167
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus that is capable of setting a proper deflection amount for deflecting an ink discharge direction even when the distance between the ink discharge surface and the ink landing surface of print paper varies and method of using same. The liquid discharge apparatus includes a head in which a plurality of nozzle-incorporated ink discharge sections are arrayed, discharge direction deflection means for deflecting the discharge direction of an ink discharged from a nozzle of each ink discharge section in the direction of ink discharge section arrangement, distance detection means for detecting the distance between the ink discharge surface of the head and the ink landing surface of print paper, and discharge deflection amount determination means for determining the ink discharge deflection amount (discharge angle) to be provided by the discharge direction deflection means in accordance with the results of detection by the distance detection means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Soichi Kuwahara, Iwao Ushinohama, Manabu Tomita, Yuichiro Ikemoto